1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to management systems for drilling projects and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to systems for managing information associated with an underground directional-drilling project including, for example, drilling plans, drilling data, material consumption, equipment wear, equipment maintenance, and project cost.
2. History of the Related Art
The practice of drilling non-vertical wells via directional drilling (sometimes referred to as “slant drilling”) has become very common in energy and mining industries. Directional drilling exposes a larger section of a subterranean reservoir than vertical drilling, and allows multiple subterranean locations to be reached from a single drilling location thereby reducing costs associated with operating multiple drilling rigs. In addition, directional drilling often allows access to subterranean formations where vertical access is difficult or impossible such as, for example, formations located under a populated area or formations located under a body of water or other natural impediment.
Despite the many advantages of directional drilling, high cost associated with completing a well is often cited as the largest shortcoming of directional drilling. This is due to the fact that directional drilling is often much slower than vertical drilling due to requisite data-acquisition steps. Thus, controlling and managing costs becomes a chief concern during directional-drilling.